Environmental decision making processes are subject to diverse and at times conflicting pressures. On one hand, an enlightenment perspective places high value on scientific information about complex environmental phenomena, thus encouraging highly trained experts to perform research, interpret results, and provide advice to decision makers. On the other, international and domestic efforts to apply the concept of sustainable development tend to promote an enhanced role for non-expert knowledge and increased opportunities for public participation in decisions that affect local environments and livelihoods. Complicating this scenario further are debates within governments about how to allocate limited resources for environmental research and management. Citizen environmental monitoring initiatives provide an opportunity to examine these considerations as they play out in a variety of settings. From local, grassroots citizen groups to regional networks with government support, a wide range of monitoring programs exist that involve volunteers in gathering environmental information using scientific methods. Many groups attempt to apply their findings to planning initiatives, policy development or environmental law enforcement at local or regional levels. These efforts may blur the distinction between scientific and local knowledge, while raising questions about the relative legitimacy of experts and citizens as producers of knowledge for use in environmental decision making. Using a case study approach, this thesis explores factors affecting the application of information gathered through citizen environmental monitoring programs to decision making processes and outcomes in Comox Valley, British Columbia, and Hamilton and Muskoka, Ontario. Semi-formal interviews were conducted in all three locations with coordinators of citizen groups that perform environmental monitoring, as well as with government representatives who have some involvement with the same citizen monitoring initiatives. Key themes affecting the use of citizen monitoring information emerged from the study, including political will on the part of local decision makers, scientific rigour and data quality of citizen monitoring efforts, and perceived legitimacy of citizen groups in terms of their organizational stability and reputations. Suggestions are presented for overcoming obstacles in each of these areas. The research also identifies further issues that affect the application of citizen-collected data such as the level of matching between the information priorities of citizen groups and governments, as well as collaborative arrangements between program partners. On these issues, interviewees shared their ideal scenarios for citizen monitoring programs with respect to funding, partnership strategies, and best roles for volunteers, citizen groups, and governments who are involved in citizen environmental monitoring programs. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that future research investigate further the issues of power sharing, agenda setting, and mutual trust between citizen groups and governments at the local level.

Environmental decision making processes are subject to diverse and at times conflicting pressures. On one hand, an enlightenment perspective places high value on scientific information about complex environmental phenomena, thus encouraging highly trained experts to perform research, interpret results, and provide advice to decision makers. On the other, international and domestic efforts to apply the concept of sustainable development tend to promote an enhanced role for non-expert knowledge and increased opportunities for public participation in decisions that affect local environments and livelihoods. Complicating this scenario further are debates within governments about how to allocate limited resources for environmental research and management. Citizen environmental monitoring initiatives provide an opportunity to examine these considerations as they play out in a variety of settings. From local, grassroots citizen groups to regional networks with government support, a wide range of monitoring programs exist that involve volunteers in gathering environmental information using scientific methods. Many groups attempt to apply their findings to planning initiatives, policy development or environmental law enforcement at local or regional levels. These efforts may blur the distinction between scientific and local knowledge, while raising questions about the relative legitimacy of experts and citizens as producers of knowledge for use in environmental decision making. Using a case study approach, this thesis explores factors affecting the application of information gathered through citizen environmental monitoring programs to decision making processes and outcomes in Comox Valley, British Columbia, and Hamilton and Muskoka, Ontario. Semi-formal interviews were conducted in all three locations with coordinators of citizen groups that perform environmental monitoring, as well as with government representatives who have some involvement with the same citizen monitoring initiatives. Key themes affecting the use of citizen monitoring information emerged from the study, including political will on the part of local decision makers, scientific rigour and data quality of citizen monitoring efforts, and perceived legitimacy of citizen groups in terms of their organizational stability and reputations. Suggestions are presented for overcoming obstacles in each of these areas. The research also identifies further issues that affect the application of citizen-collected data such as the level of matching between the information priorities of citizen groups and governments, as well as collaborative arrangements between program partners. On these issues, interviewees shared their ideal scenarios for citizen monitoring programs with respect to funding, partnership strategies, and best roles for volunteers, citizen groups, and governments who are involved in citizen environmental monitoring programs. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that future research investigate further the issues of power sharing, agenda setting, and mutual trust between citizen groups and governments at the local level.

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ABSTRACT LOCAL DYNAMICS IN THE PROCESS OF CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION PROJECTS IN KASTAMONU Aysu Kes M.Sc., Urban Policy Planning and Local Governments Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sibel Kalaycioglu January 2006, 102 pages The aim of this thesis is to understand the local participation dynamics in Turkey, especially in the cities with small populations. The conservation and restoration projects in Kastamonu were chosen as the case in order to achieve this aim. These projects include the restoration and reuse of historical/traditional houses in Turkey. The research was focused on the stakeholders in relation to these projects in order to be able to examine the social processes with regard to the local participation in Kastamonu. The major data collection method of this research was interviews with three groups of stakeholders. These stakeholders were the decision- makers, the owners of the houses, and the local people. For the research, 41 interviews were conducted in November 2004 in Kastamonu. The interviews included questions with regard to perceptions of the respondents about the issues of participation and decision- making dynamics, as well as the conception of sense of place, through the conservation and restoration processes. All these interviews were recorded and transcribed for discourse analysis. There are three major findings of this thesis. Firstly, the stakeholders do not have a consistent perception of what participation is. This leads to the second finding that the level of interaction and the level of participation are low among the stakeholders. Thirdly, the conservation and restoration projects in Kastamonu are perceived as economic investments by the vast majority of people. The heritage and cultural value of the houses are less frequently referred to.

<p>A qualitative study is presented concerning children’s participation in the local decisionmaking in Swedish municipalities. The study also aims at finding out what are considered to be successful factors and obstacles connected to the implementation of children’s participation in local decision-making. The study contains a summary of the convention on the rights of the child, focusing on article 12, as well as previous research findings concerning children’s participation and factors enabling respectively hindering participation. Method has been interviews with a purposive sample of politicians, civil employees and children from municipalities regarded as prominent in their work with children’s participation. Either through a formal or informal implementation model. The results have been analysed in the light of Roger Hart’s eight-step “ladder of children’s participation“, where position one is considered Manipulation from adults and position eight is Child-initiated and shared decisions with adults. The results show that the investigated municipalities are considering the voice of the children in the local decision-making. Depending on different variables in focus, the position on Hart’s ladder varies between four and seven. The study concludes that successful implementation of children’s participation in local decision-making commands parallel work with organizational structures, systematic and adult’s attitudes.</p>

A qualitative study is presented concerning children’s participation in the local decisionmaking in Swedish municipalities. The study also aims at finding out what are considered to be successful factors and obstacles connected to the implementation of children’s participation in local decision-making. The study contains a summary of the convention on the rights of the child, focusing on article 12, as well as previous research findings concerning children’s participation and factors enabling respectively hindering participation. Method has been interviews with a purposive sample of politicians, civil employees and children from municipalities regarded as prominent in their work with children’s participation. Either through a formal or informal implementation model. The results have been analysed in the light of Roger Hart’s eight-step “ladder of children’s participation“, where position one is considered Manipulation from adults and position eight is Child-initiated and shared decisions with adults. The results show that the investigated municipalities are considering the voice of the children in the local decision-making. Depending on different variables in focus, the position on Hart’s ladder varies between four and seven. The study concludes that successful implementation of children’s participation in local decision-making commands parallel work with organizational structures, systematic and adult’s attitudes.

In recent years, the number of local referendums in Sweden has increased. Referendumsallow citizens to influence specific political issues directly, and the instrument is advisory todecision-makers. At the same time, referendums have become a complex issue in manySwedish municipalities. They pose a fundamental challenge to local democracy - to deal withtwo legitimate popular wills representing two different ideals of democracy. However, there is little empirical evidence on how municipal politicians deal with thischallenge in local decision-making. This study aims to examine how we can understand therole of referendums in this context. In order to do so, the study focuses on referendums in thefield of infrastructure in two municipalities, the sale of the municipally-owned energycompany Öresundskraft in Helsingborg and decommissioning of Västerås airport in Västerås.Empirical evidence was compiled from mainly public documents in order to perform aqualitative content analysis; interviews were also conducted with a total of ten municipalpoliticians to reinforce the findings of the processes. The study utilizes a general frameworkwith theoretical ideas on governance, policy analysis and direct democracy to deepen ourunderstanding of these processes. The results of the study show that in both cases, the respective referendum has been given adecisive role. The municipal politicians seem to have chosen to stop the politicalproposal/decision after the referendum's result based on turnout and the clear result that thecitizens did not want to sell/decommission. Furthermore, the results also illustrate that allmunicipal politicians, in general, think it is important to involve citizens but in differentways. Some politicians had a more positive view of the instrument and some much less so inthe two cases. They underline that a referendum may be more or less appropriate in certainissues or circumstances. At the same time, the majority maintain the idea of referendums as acomplement to representative democracy. The study also shows how different interests fromdifferent societal actors can come into play in a referendum on infrastructure that does notonly relate to the local and municipal sphere. The study was delimited to referendums oninfrastructure in two large municipalities; therefore, it cannot bridge the much-neededresearch gaps that further research can address.